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UNITED STATES PATENT Oriana,

JOHN S. OWEN AND GEORGE L. SNIDEB, OF NORTH INDIANAPOLIS, IND.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,977, dated October17, 1882.

Application filed March '7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN S. OWEN and GEORGEL. SNIDER, of the town of North Indianapolis, county of Marion, andState of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

Our said invention consists in a peculiar means of operating theengaging portion of a car-coupling, wherebyit can be uncoupled, held inuncoupled position, disengaged, and generally manipulated in allordinary ways without the necessity of the operator passingbetween thecars or incurring any of the usual danger attendant upon the coupling ofcars, all as will be hereinafter more specifically de scribed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure1 is an end elevation of a car \vhereon are our improvements; Fig. 2, atop or plan view ofso much of the same as is necessary to include saidimprovements; Fig. 3, a central vertical section on an enlarged scale onthe dotted line 2 2,- Fig. 4, a vertical section on the dotted line gg]; Fig. 5, a top or plan view of the parts shown in Fi 4; and Fig. 6, aperspective view of a peculiarlyformed catclrwheel, which is a leadingfeature in our present invention.

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the casting formingthe draw-head of the coupling; B, the pivoted catch-pin; O, thepivot-shaft therefor; D, a weight thereon; E, arod forliftingthecatch-pin B; F, an arm whereby said rod may be lifted; G, ashaftrunning across the end of the car, on which said lever is mounted H H,hand-levers upon the ends of the shaft G; I, a catch-wheel of peculiarform, mounted upon the shaftG J, a pawl which is adapted to engage withsaid catch-wheel, and K a chain or rod by which the rod E and catch-pinB can be operated from the top of a box-car.

The several parts, A, B, O, D, and E, are similar to the correspondingparts in our Patent No. 251,130, dated. December 20, 1881, upon whichthis present invention is an improvement.

(No model.)

The arm F is capable of being operated by the shaft G to raise the rodE, and with it the catch-pin B, when it is desired to disengage thelatter from the coupling-link A.

The shaft GeXtends entirely across the end of the car, and has ahand-lever, H, upon each end, by which it may be rotated. By this meansthe car can be uncoupled or the catchpin held in any desired positionfrom either side of the car without any liability ofinjuring theoperator.

The catchwheel I is of a peculiar construction, and serves the purposeof holding the catch'pin up by the engagement of the pawl J therewith,and is adapted by a further movement to cause a disengagement of saidpawl therefrom, whereby the catch-pin is released and permitted to dropback into its normal position. One side of said wheel is recessed, asshown, the bottom of the recess being two flat surfaces rising andmeeting centrally. At the point of junction, which is a diagonal lineacross the bottom, a stud, 11, projects upwardly, partially dividing thespace in the recess. This stud is set on the same angle as thedividing-line of the two faces, and is so situated as to guide the endof the pawl J down past it upon one side, and to guide it back upon theother, thus causing said point to travel completely around said studeach time the catch-wheel is given the partial rotation in eachdirection incident to its operation. A square-faced notch, 1', forms thetermination of the highest face of the bottom of the recess, and intothis the point of the pawl J drops as it passes the stud i, and, if themovement of the wheel is stopped at that point, there remains and isheld thereby. hen the catch wheel is given a slightly further rotationthe point of the pawl drops over onto the lower face, and is guided bythe diagonal side face of the stud i, and the continuation thereof atits lower end, back to the higher faceas the catch-wheel rotates in thereverse direction.

The'pawl J is a common pawl, such as is ordinarily used withratchet-wheels. The chain K is only used with box-cars, and extends tothe top of thecar, so that the coupling may be operated from that point.

The operation ofour said invention may be recapitulated as follows: Thecars come together, forcing the link into the draw-head intheordinarymanner. Thecatch-pin dropsinto the link and holds it. When itis desired to uncouple the ears the operator rotates the shaft G bymeans of one of the hand-levers H or the chain K, thus raising thecatch-pin B through the rod E and releasing the couplinglink. When itisdesired to have the catch-pin remain in elevated position the rotationof the shaft is stopped when the wheel I has reached that point whichpermits the point of the pawl J to drop into the 'notch 45. When it isdesired to have the catch-pin drop again a further rotation is given tothe shaft, which permits the point of the pawl to drop out of the notch,and when the force on the shaft is relieved to return to the oppositesideof the line dividing the two. faces of'the bottom of the recess inthe wheel, as herein-before explained.

Having thus fully described our said invention, what we claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. The combination, in a oar-coupling, ofthe draw-head A, catch-pin B,rod E, arm F, shaft G, having hand-levers H, wheel I, constructed tooperate as specified, and pawl J, substantiallyas set forth.

2. The combination, with the rotating shaft G for lifting the catch-pinof a car-coupling, oi' acatch-wheel, I, mounted thereon and providedwith a recess wherein a pawl may travel back and forth, and a notch, 2",wherein said pawl will engage at a certain point in the rotation of saidwheel, but from which it will be disengaged by a slightly furtherrotation, substair tially as set forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 3d day of March, A. D. 1882.

JOHN S. OWEN. [L. s.] GEORGE L. SNIDER. [L. s.]

In presence of' (3. BRADFORD, CHAS. L. THURBER.

